When multiple computerized devices interact with each other at close range, they may employ sensors such as cameras and laser range finders to map their environment. As understood herein, three dimensional (3D) depth maps may be generated by each device of the other devices or objects within line of sight. Such 3D depth maps are generated typically using “time of flight” principles, i.e., by timing the periods from laser transmission to reception of each reflection, with regions of an object further away taking longer for the light to propagate to it and then return to a detector. The time of flight for each detected reflection by a sensor, typically a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) camera, is converted to distance to generate the depth map.
As understood herein, a problem with time of flight 3D camera mapping systems is the illumination of the camera's field of view by a laser. As the distance increases (depth), the reflected laser power drops so the noise increases. This means that the accuracy of the depth map decreases and the measurement time increases (averaging). A brute force response to this problem would be to increase the illumination by increasing the laser power, but this method raises safety issues and power consumption issues.